Factor of Five
by beaker67
Summary: The ODYSSEY/ISS series continues. Maj. Flynn comes to Houston and more than the "Odyssey 5" is there to see her. Updated 11/15/09


**ODYSSEY/ISS**

An **Odyssey 5 **tie-in series

DISCLAIMER: **Odyssey 5, **and its characters, are the creative property of Manny Coto, Showtime Networks and Sony Pictures Television. They are used in this story without permission, but with great respect and love for the series. Any other characters are the product of the author's imagination. Any use of actual persons or their names is done out of respect for who they are and what they have accomplished. The author's use of such persons is not intended to cause harm or to defame in any way, shape, or form.

**Story 2: Factor of Five**

* * *

**Houston, Texas- December 15****th****, 2002 [nts]**

The neighborhood usually went all out for the holiday season. It was no surprise to see people outside on the mild, winter weekends with arms hung with outdoor holiday lights. Lawn ornaments and inflatable Santas seemed to break out on lawns like a rash. Even the Taggart household was no exception.

Paige might be gone, but the lights and decorations still went up. In all respects, it was only out of the fact that the house would have company shortly. The type of company that would soon go overseas, to a foreign country where such displays were closely akin to symbols reviled by the native population. Few could understand such a thing unless they had experienced the same type of disconnect in the past. Chuck Taggart certainly could and he made sure his house was as decked out as it could be for the soldier coming to stay with them. With the new war, it was only a fitting thing. Many in the neighborhood had been called up and were now away at the most important time of the year. More than a few trees had the yellow ribbons out front to indicate a loved one away. Some windows even had reproductions of the 'service flags' that had been common in World War Two. At least one soldier would have a Christmas stateside before going off to fight. What was left of the Taggart family would make sure of it.

Chuck had spent many holidays in the Air Force, away from family and friends. Sometimes spent months from those he loved. Posted far off from family to fly jets and generally rip through the skies at supersonic speed. Went into NASA and even more months, and years, went past with not much contact with family. Paige had been the glue, the knot that kept the whole family together. In an odd way, the duty was now put on her widower husband. Where before he might have grumbled and kicked up his heels, now he dove into doing the things with renewed determination.

Neil noted the change right after his father had gotten home from Washington State. It was almost like he got reinvigorated to pursue the reason why they all had been sent back. The younger Taggart found it odd that a woman both his father and he had only recalled from memories at NASA would now figure so much in their lives. Figured to a point where Penny's saying that she was 'late' was written off as nothing but a ploy. Penny was damn near menopause and, so far has anyone knew, had not been seen since Neil opened the door to her two weeks ago.

Where Chuck Taggart never viewed Malinda Flynn as a clinging vine; Penny Whitsun most certainly was and in spades. He hated clinging vines.

Chuck wrapped the black electrical tape around the last connection on the eaves and descended from the ladder. The hooks to hang the lights had been put in about twenty years ago. Back when Chuck Taggart would not have dared to bitch lest the wrath of Paige Taggart descend on him like a bad bunch of voodoo. His blue eyes surveyed his work, before looking down at Neil.

"Think that's the last of them."

"We got that one bad string left."

Neil looked at the beat-up cardboard box he could recall from earliest childhood.

"Save it. The bulbs aren't easy to find anymore."

Taggart replied. He'd seen the crappy 'lights in a plastic tube' and thought that, along with the inflata-Santas. They were the ugliest damn things anybody could stick up on a house or put in a yard. They were items that would never see the light of day on- or near- the Taggart house.

From his vantage point, he'd looked both ways down the street. He'd done that frequently.

Mali was two days late getting in. He'd even tried to call up to her place on St. Mark's and got the standard disconnect message. She had emailed him right before she left Seattle and that was four days ago. Chuck Taggart normally didn't sweat a lot of stuff. However, much as he hated to admit it, now he did. Especially after the last day Kurt and he were on St. Mark's and the three Synths came to pay Mali a visit. He hadn't wanted to seem pushy, but he wished she could've come down with them. Of course he also didn't have a boat to drydock, house to secure, and myriad other tasks to do prior to being sent overseas. Jobs only Mali could do herself.

The beeping chirp of a cell tore his eyes from the road and down to Neil. The kid almost jumped as fast as he would have- if he was down on the ground and not on a 16-foot step ladder. He found himself hoping it was her. Then recalled that she hated cell phones with a passion.

"Hey, Kurt. No, she's not. Not yet."

Neil looked up to his father.

"He's stringing Christmas lights. No, he hasn't fallen off yet."

"Tell him to go fuck himself!"

Chuck growled, but in the good-natured way he did with Kurt Mendel. The whole group had grown very close from so many months ago. The time when they had all re-emerged so different, so changed from the people they used to be.

"He says he'd like Penelope Cruz to do that, so 'no thanks'."

Neil responded back.

Taggart looked up to the afternoon sky and laughed. 'Karaina' was NOT Penelope Cruz by any stretch. Even if the up-and-coming singer had made her first million only two months after leaving Kurt for a new manager/lover.

"That'll be the day when he can bag someone like that."

Neil tried not to laugh as he listened to Kurt.

"Yeah, ok. I'll let him know. Bye."

"So what does Mr. Wonderfulness want now?"

"The usual, and wants to add that he's having a Holiday party at his place this weekend. Dress is decidedly low-key and food and drink will be in plenty. We are expected to bring a certain somebody over as well."

"Jesus Christ, he win the Lotto?"

"Said something about some royalties from one of his books. Guess it was a good check."

"Bastard."

Chuck commented to himself. Ever since getting on Hodge's shitlist, his time at the JSC had been damn little. It wasn't like he spent cash with abandon. It was just that money was one thing that was worth earning more of in order to keep things comfortable.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly four."

Taggart surveyed the neighborhood from his vantage point a last time. Then came down and stood on solid ground for the first time in two hours.

"Well, kiddo, let's get this shit put away. Thanks for helping out your old man."

He walked over to the outlet where the plug for the lights would go in and shoved it in. The Taggart house lit up in multi-colors. He eyed it critically. It would be a good show at night. Maybe not be able to be seen from space, but passable.

"Isn't the string on the second floor a bit off?"

Neil said, in a mock-serious way.

"How about I kick your ass up there so you can fix it."

Chuck playfully punched his son's shoulder, but still looked at the lights.

"You recall where your mother put those candles she would put in the windows?"

"In the attic, I think. I don't recall them being in the garage."

"Just need those out and I think we're good for today."

Taggart blinked. Became conscious of using up a lot of Neil's free time. After all, a teenage man had other, more important things than helping out his father with stuff.

"Shit, when was your date with your girlfriend?"

"Not until seven, Dad. Don't sweat it."

Neil wanted to take Holly out. At least it was a weeknight, so it wouldn't be that bad. Weekends at restaurants in December was asking for near-suicide. They had managed to patch things to where they could still do boyfriend/girlfriend stuff and not be heavy on each other.

"You oughta pop to the Canary and grab a burger. It's safe again."

"No. I'll stick close to home. See what dregs remain in the freezer for your old man to gnaw on."

It seemed, according to Stacey and Molly at the Canary, that Penny had abruptly quit. She changed her phone and nobody knew where she'd gotten to. She'd lit off shortly after he got back to Houston. Chuck Taggart knew he was acting like a dickhead, but he honestly could not have given two shits less. Especially when somebody tried to play games on him.

He bent down and grabbed the old box from the ground. Not before taking a last look, both ways, down the street. He preferred people who didn't play games with his mind..and his heart.

* * *

When Sarah was finally able to see Corey to bed it was only after the poor kid had been horribly sick all day. She wondered about the strength of his chemo and whether or not the doctor could really care about how very ill her son was. It ripped her up to see her little boy laid so low.

She got him into his Power Ranger pajamas and snuggled into his bed. The new quilt she bought was heavier than the other one and Corey seldom complained of being cold anymore. Checking to make sure his favorite nightlight was left on, she quietly left the room and saw Paul sitting on the sofa.

"Little guy's asleep?"

"Finally."

Sarah said. Truth told, she was wiped out from the things she had to do at home, on top of a full day at the studio. Coming home to Paul, not Troy, was also wearing on her. The acceptance of Troy's marriage proposal and Paul's unexpected return had not been good for her mood in the past, few months.

"Your friend, Kurt, called. Seems your friends are having a get-together this weekend."

"Are you in the habit of taking my calls now to?"

"Shit, Sarah, I'm your **husband** and you seem to hang with these people more than me?! Besides, you were cleaning up Corey when he called."

Sarah looked at the man. They were still husband and wife, just barely. They stayed together for Corey and that was it. She still desperately loved Troy and the two of them had to sneak time when she was at the studio to be together. Wondered how she could live being so torn.

Thought that if anything she would've wished Paul gone if he were not Corey's father.

"You forget, there are still divorce papers that will be completed, Paul."

Rather than get into any more of a verbal fight with Paul, she went into the kitchen and mulled over what to eat. Not that she was hungry. Paul's proximity was usually sufficient enough to kill her appetite for most of any given day.

* * *

**20 Miles east of Abilene, Texas**

She had found that she couldn't drive on anymore. At least, not without a good nap.

The rest area had been a welcome sight after nearly twenty hours on the road. Leaving Seattle and traveling south, during the early winter, was not what she honestly wanted to do. The Rockies had been getting hammered with storms, so she skirted them and took lesser roads and that ate up ungodly amounts of time. By the time she got down into New Mexico and onto I-40 to go east, she had already been on the road three days. The ice held out in the cooler with the salmon but Kurt would have to pine another day or two. At least she was in Texas now.

She didn't know how long she'd slept. When she finally opened her eyes it seemed to be late afternoon. She was backed up high against the driver's seat and her heart was pounding. Her hands were out on either side of her, helping her to back away. The abduction dream was receding, but not before it made her cognizant of being covered in sweat and not quite with it until she felt herself fully awake.

It was always the same.

The black figures around the bed. The feeling of being held down. The gag in her mouth so nobody in the building could hear her scream for help or hear her struggle. The sick feeling of a metal instrument as it sliced her arm open and the sick feeling of heat as Synth nanobots entered her body and began to change her. Change her at a molecular level into a Synth, a Plastic.

Mali rubbed her face and looked at the skeleton-like trees around her. Momentary glances to either side told her the rest area had no other users. Odd, it was a full-service stop. That is, one with restrooms, water and even a little area to cook food. She did see a Texas State Patrol cruiser pull in from the highway and slow crawl down.

It wouldn't be the first time she had been oogled by law enforcement. Nor would it be the last.

Officers always took a shine to her car. Never really bugged her. Just took a shine to it. Very few would've guessed at the type of engine under the hood.

She ignored the cruiser and reached for the rolled up towel and dopp bag in back and took her keys from the ignition. He certainly couldn't pull shit if she wanted to go clean up. She just cracked the door when the State Patrol car pulled alongside her. Her Glock was under her arm and the Remington was in its under-dash carrier. Both were not easily seen.

_Fuck him. I'm going to clean up._

The patrolman worked down his passenger window. Couldn't have been much more than in his mid-twenties. Crew-cut, white and- as youth is usually lucky to have- thin. Not that Mali wasn't, but she worked like a dog to stay that way. Had to, lest she be unfit to go into space.

"About time you woke up."

Mali looked over to the man. He didn't seem to want to get out of his vehicle. It wasn't a strictly-official stop.

"Can I help you, officer?"

"This isn't a very safe place to stay if you are going to go to sleep. Can't fault you for pulling off the road, but another twenty miles is a good truck stop and hotel."

Mali nodded and shut her car door and locked it. Still looked in his car window.

"You guys got trouble around here?"

"Occasional types, looking for holiday travelers to hold up. I usually pass through this stop on my circuit. Staying more than an hour raises the risk, ma'am."

The officer looked at her windshield.

"You military?"

"US Army."

"You getting deployed?"

"I am."

"Where are you headed to?"

"Houston."

Mali gripped her dopp bag and towel.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I'd like to go freshen up. Where is that truck stop you mentioned?"

"Small ways down. It's a 'Flying J'. Good place. Has some good food as well."

"Appreciate the advice. Thank you."

She nodded and the officer responded in kind. Walked to the bathrooms as he pulled out and away. Never saw him stop just shy of the interstate for a bit.

* * *

**Johnson Space Center- Houston**

Cynthia Hodge was getting ready to leave.

There was another shuttle flight due soon and everything was looking to be on-track. The only thing that wasn't was the Bright Sky 2 satellite. Its funding was in debate with the war in Afghanistan and the budgeting for it war. NASA always could find funding but private sources always gravitated towards what was more lucrative. In this case, war trumped a satellite.

Hodge had just grabbed her purse and keys when the direct line into her office rang. Thought for a moment that it could be her husband, Kyle. Then again, he knew better than to call on the NASA direct line. He always called her cell in most cases. She listened to it ring again and debated whether or not to answer it. Not many people had her number. Not many would call her unless it was truly something important. She opted to pick it up. Dinner and her husband could wait.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking to Mrs. Cynthia Hodge?"

"You are. Who am I speaking to?"

"Captain David Bates, ma'am. Texas State Patrol. Ma'am, per the directive to our agency from NASA, we have located one of the people on the list that was submitted to us."

Hodge thought a moment, then did remember. It was a way to keep track, covertly, of the doings of NASA astronauts. Any astronaut who came into contact with a TSP officer would have their name called in, along with their license plate number.

"Yes, I do recall. Who have you found."

"Ma'am, one Major Malinda Flynn was reported as being at a rest area outside Abilene this afternoon. The officer reported that her car had Washington State plates and also verified her facial features."

"Did she tell the officer where she was headed to?"

"Major Flynn indicated that she was en-route to Houston, ma'am."

The officer paused, as if waiting for Hodge to speak.

"Would you like us to intercept her again, ma'am?"

_Ah, the joys of having connections in high places!_

"No, Captain, that will not be necessary at this time."

_She will, no doubt, come to me when I call. When Taggart is finally brought in for what he has done. _

_But not yet. It is not time._

Hodge knew Flynn was on her way to see Taggart and his band. She had to give his crew credit for being able to entice Flynn over to their side. Their story must have been a good one.

"Thank you for informing me."

"Have a good night, ma'am."

"You as well. Good night."

Hodge hung up the phone and grabbed her purse again. Perhaps Kyle and her could find a nice restaurant to go to. She felt like celebrating.

* * *

**Houston-**

Mali pulled up to the Canary Diner and took stock of the cars in the lot. Had to wonder what Chuck and his group saw in this run-down, greasy spoon. She didn't often obey her growling stomach, until now. Knew she could have found far better places in Houston. Ones she knew, rather than this joint she'd never been in before.

Parking the car, she walked the short distance and pulled the door open. The smell of hamburger grease mingled with coffee and the odor of age. What the diner was, it was around for a while.

She took a seat at the counter and scanned the menu board. At this time of night she didn't dare risk the 'Daily Special'; it was either reheated to dehydration or had sat and gathered some form of food poisoning. A TV played in the corner and the patrons seemed to be winding up on their stay.

"Came in just under the wire. What'll you have?"

Mali looked up to see a middle-aged woman with close-cropped, brunette hair. A woman who reminded Mali of her mother, in a way. A woman who also wore clothes a little too tight for her age.

"Got hot tea?"

"Sure do."

"That and a chicken sandwich."

"Fries?"

"No. Just run it through the garden and mayo on the side."

The woman smiled.

"Been through a few diners, eh?"

"You could say that."

"Be back in a moment with your tea."

Mali scrutinized the cleanliness of the sugar caddy and the creamer pitcher. By the dried-on crust, she would avoid creamer. The packets seemed free of crud though. She cast an ear to the TV and could already make out that the headlines weren't anything earth-shaking.

She listened to the talk back in the kitchen for a moment, before a mug of tea was set in front of her.

"Sugar and cream are in front of you."

The woman said and looked at Mali again.

"Visiting Houston for the first time?"

Mali gave a wry grin as she tore open a few packets of Equal. Stirred it in and set the spoon down.

"No, Houston is a very familiar town to me. Is the first time I've been here, though."

"Really? What're you here for?"

"I work at NASA. Astronaut."

Mali lifted the mug to her lips to take a tentative sip of the scalding brew.

The woman stood up and looked at her.

"Really? Do you know Chuck Taggart?"

Mali contemplated the taste of the tea along with her answer. The woman must be the 'Penny' Chuck had spoken of. She responded the best way she knew. Especially when confronted with a clingy girlfriend.

"I know a great many people in NASA. Can't say as I know him personally. Have seen him every now and then, in passing."

Penny Whitsun looked at the woman a moment before extending her hand.

"I'm Penny, Penny Whitsun. Chuck Taggart is..my boyfriend."

Mali noted the slight hesitation. Really didn't want to say her name. Still had little choice, given that courtesy demanded reciprocity. Shook the woman's hand firmly.

"Major Flynn.."

"Sorry to seem so inquisitive. Its just interesting to meet somebody else who works there. Can't say that many NASA folks come in here."

Mali grinned and took another sip of tea.

"You'll find that most folks there are pretty insular. They stick to their routines and what they know. More so than many people."

Penny still looked at her. Seemed to be still curious.

"Have you flown in the Shuttle much?"

"Only to get to and from the ISS. The International Space Station. I'm a systems specialist."

"How many flights have you done?"

"Quite a few. Five, so far. Its more than most usually get."

Penny sensed that Major Flynn might want to be left alone for a small bit before her sandwich came.

"I'll can the questions for a bit and let you relax. Anyway, welcome back to Houston, Major."

"Thank you, ma'am."

* * *

**2217 Hours**

Chuck Taggart rubbed his eyes.

NASA always had things for its astronauts to do if they weren't in space or on primary or backup crews. Even being on the Director's shitlist couldn't get you out of it.. It was the equivalent of 'homework' and, suffice to say, he'd always been more of a doer than a reader. Nonetheless, the study was needed if he expected to ever go up in space again.

He couldn't say he was sad about getting out of the latest, 'Columbia', mission. He knew all too well what would happen. To sound the alarm now would put too many eyes on him and only serve to destabilize his reputation more. Especially with the fallout, though covert, from 'Bright Sky'. The catastrophe would never be believed until it actually happened and chunks of debris began to hit Texas soil.

He'd seen the happy faces of the newest crew at the JSC and it ripped at his heart. There were seven people who would never return to Earth. Their deaths would be mourned but, and he hoped for it mightily, it would result in greater safeties taken in regards to the heat tiles and their durability. Greater safety for all astronauts in the future.

His blue eyes looked up at the clock. Neil wasn't home yet and he figured the boy likely wouldn't get in too soon. His son had school tomorrow, but the latest round of grades were reassuring. Neil was at a solid 4.0 for the first semester, even with the 'stuff' he did on the side with the gang.

Taggart's blue eyes flickered again at the clock.

_Where in hell is she?"_

It wasn't the first time he thought that, but he hoped it would be the last. He'd seen the weather and the storm that was scooting down from the southern Rockies. Knew she'd gone through some ugly crap just to drive through Utah and Colorado. Also knew that she was an adamant 'dinosaur' where cell phones were concerned. She hated the damn things and labeled them as intrusions on her privacy. If folks wanted to call her they could leave a message at her landline.

He also knew it made it harder for the Synths to home in. They had no way, short of putting a tracking device on her, of knowing where she was.

Taggart yawned and finally got up from the chair after shutting the folder on all the papers within. There would be a memorial service to go to come February. It wouldn't be his first rodeo in that area. Knew it would rip as badly as the 'Challenger' disaster had. Save that the debris would be less with 'Columbia' than with her sister ship. Mali would certainly be in Afghanistan then. He made a mental note to try and ask her precisely what she did in the Rangers. He'd never found out and the only reason why he wanted to know was to assess the level of risk. The news reports were not glowing. That part of the world was a shitty, Taliban-infested shithole that was full of people who truly hated the West and everything about it. Those people clung to nearly Stone-age living while the rest of the world surged ahead.

Chuck Taggart knew everybody had, more or less, value. He was just finding it hard to see the value in sending precious, American lives over there.

He moved through the quiet house, turning what few light s were on, off. He left the hall light on for Neil and was about to go up the stairs when he saw the flash of headlights into the driveway.

Opening the door, he saw a distinctly different car pull up.

_About damn time! _

Taggart walked out to see the ink-black Impala with its Washington plates. Smiled when Mali opened her car door and rose out.

"I was beginning to think aliens sucked you up back in New Mexico."

"Not far south enough for Roswell."

Mali said, hitting the button for the trunk.

"The fish is still iced, but it needs the fridge."

"You look like shit."

"Thank you, Joe Adonis. Its what happens when you drive the width of a country and don't have a straight-shot to where you want to get to."

Mali saw Chuck come up and gave her a hug.

"Glad you made it in safe."

Mali patted his back and stepped back.

"Tell me about it. I'm thinking Hodge already knows I'm in the area."

She watched as he hefted out the cooler and took it into the garage.

"How do you know that?"

Taggart asked, setting down the cooler on the hood of his Mustang and lifted the lid. The smell of alder-smoked salmon came out as a perfume to his nose. The spare fridge in the garage was something he always held onto. Paige never really liked it but it was handy for parties, beer, and now for smoked salmon.

"State Patrolman, outside of Abilene, accosted me at a rest area. I definitely think he ran my plates when he saw my DoD sticker and NASA pass."

Mali shook her head and watched Taggart put the packages into the fridge. Then put the cooler on the ground.

"Only a matter of time, I guess."

Taggart shut the fridge.

"You think she'll call you in? This close to your deployment?"

"You and I both know that Uncle Sam takes priority. I'm due at Fort Bliss on the 30th."

They both turned to the sound of a motorbike coming up. Mali saw a young man wearing a worn jean jacket get off. When he took off his helmet, there was a short head of dark hair.

"Recognize that face. It was plastered on many magazine covers as I recall."

Mali smiled as he came into the garage. Knew Neil had heard her.

"About time you got home. My son, Neil."

Taggart said, as Neil looked at Mali and extended his hand.

"An honor to meet you, Major Flynn."

Neil shook hands and looked at her. She was short, like his father had said.

"Youngest hotshot to go up in NASA history. I recall that well, Mr. Taggart."

Mali smiled.

"As for it being an 'honor', I'm kinda out of the loop with the Agency on that."

"Well, if the 'hotshot' isn't too out of it, could you get her bags out so we can lock her car?"

"It'll have to be a group effort. I have firearms in there too."

The trio walked back out to her car.

"Is that a 2000 Impala?"

Neil's eyes looked over the car. It wasn't like his Porsche, but it was a nice vehicle anyway.

"It is."

"Sweet! What engine you got in her?"

"A gorgeous, Chevrolet version of a 'Police Interceptor '. She can top 200 if I let her go all-out."

Mali walked around back to the trunk and opened it.

"Damn!"

Neil whistled. He opened the front driver's door to look at the dash.

"See what happens when you work for NASA?"

Taggart suggested to his son, who was still looking about the interior and had noted the Stimson seats up front.

"And can pay a damn good mechanic to do the required, non-factory tweaks."

Mali added. She handed out a duffle bag and a hardside briefcase to Chuck and saw him eyeball the two, hard rifle cases still inside the trunk.

Neil shut the door. He already had her daybag and watched her lift out the weapons.

"Officers are never without their firearms."

He spoke quietly.

"That would be the Glock inside my belt. What's in there are my 'kids'."

Mali checked the trunk and handed one of the cases to Neil. Double-checked all the doors, shut the trunk and locked the car remotely. They went inside the garage quickly and shut the overhead door. They all did a pad up the stairs.

"The Army allows you to have rifles with you?"

Taggart asked as he brought the rifles inside Mark's bedroom. He hadn't thought that Rangers were allowed to have their combat weapons in personal possession. They got put on the bed. The room still smelled of new paint. He knew he forgot to crack the windows to air it out.

"Snipers are allowed to retain their duty weaponry for safety reasons. Its hard to trust a firearm you can't work with and personally control at all times."

Mali saw them look at her. Obviously, it wasn't something even they would have expected.

"Of course, it is returned to the Army upon discharge. It is, after all, ultimately their property."

"You're a sniper?"

Neil asked.

"And a Ranger. Yes. Its my MOS. I seem to have that aptitude, aside from my gifts with communications."

Chuck Taggart certainly was surprised. He knew the Rangers could shoot. You weren't one if you couldn't. It still boggled his mind that a woman would be allowed into that area. Especially one where the operator was distinctly far from friendly lines, or help.

"Its why they reactivated you?"

"Tora Bora, and other paradise locales, need to be cleaned out. Its little different than Iraq the first time around. Except the land is colder, higher and even uglier."

She saw Neil look at the cases.

"You can open them. Just do NOT touch them."

Neil opened the first and saw a standard Springfield 30.06 with a type of scope he knew only the military would use. Now he knew why she'd cautioned him. He badly wanted to lift it up.

"Damn, she's pretty. How old is she?"

Taggart saw the look that came over Mali's face. Like she was looking at her own child.

"1965. She saw use by an Army sniper in Vietnam. He came home alive because of her. She does a good 1500 yards."

Mali saw Neil open the other case.

"That's my Big Girl."

"Wow."

Neil definitely would have liked to work with it. It almost looked like something Stallone or 'Arnold' would have used. Its length was nearly mirrored by the scope on it.

"50 caliber. The muzzle flash deflector was a custom job. There's an Army gunsmith I have regular contact with. He did that job for me when I was in Kuwait. She's rated to 1900 yards."

"I think you and Kurt need to team up with his thermal camera and your rifles."

Neil mused.

"Already thinking of ways to do 'population control' on Sentients?"

Chuck saw Mali hide a huge yawn. It was getting very late for all of them.

"Not when the ballistics would be positive traced back to me."

Mali shuddered and stepped forward to close the cases. Fatigue and the warm room was working on her.

"Well guys, sleep is calling me. Show-and-tell is over."

"Bathroom is down the hall. You have first call."

Taggart said and left with Neil.

Mali nodded and went into getting unpacked to a point where she could wash up and get to bed without further trouble.

* * *

The woman once known as Penny Whitsun looked up at the ceiling of her bedroom and was aware of the three Sentients around her. The person once known as Mark Taggart had left, but he was replaced by these three. They sat vigil and assisted her as she underwent her transformation. They refilled glass after glass of water and had helped her to the bathroom a time or two. She had passed a clump of bloody tissue and felt no remorse at having done so. Her new body discarded what was not essential. What had been a fetus was certainly in the non-essential category. Now she was free to grow into what she needed to become.

She never felt happier than she did now. The comfort of her new friends brought her a peace she had seldom known.

She was already aware of the network about her. Was already starting to make connections with the others in the area. Her perceptions of the world was changing. She knew that Neil and Chuck Taggart were enemies to the system. That the elder Taggart had refused to be absorbed and had, unfortunately successfully, to escape the programming intended for him. Knew, again from the network, that he had made contact with Malinda Flynn. Flynn was highly prized to become assimilated. Part of Mark Taggart's mission was to achieve this by exploiting his familial connections to his father and younger brother. Penny's mind had probed into the other members of Taggart's 'group' but could not find much. The others were of small value. Of them, perhaps only Angela Perry was worth anything for being a NASA astronaut. The rest were of no note. Not even Chuck Taggart was regarded highly anymore.

She had a fleeting image of being in the Canary and watching him working on a crossword. Had equally fleeting memory of the emotions and feelings she used to have for him. Things that could not be embraced anymore. Things like 'emotions' and 'feelings' were the useless remnants of her former, organic form.

Penny Whitsun knew her mission was already being readied for her: to help Mark Taggart capture Flynn and perhaps even try to reacquire the elder Taggart into Synth control. If he were recaptured there would be no failure in turning him. He would have to turn or die.

At this, she felt absolutely no remorse. Synths lost all human empathy or emotions.

* * *

**Next Morning**

Getting up 'late' in the Taggart house was being up at seven, not five-thirty, in the morning. On this particular morning both men had slept late.

It required Neil to pretty much get dressed and bolt out the door to classes. It left his father to throw together a pot of coffee and make the dash out to grab the paper off the driveway. It was now a few steps more because of the other car in the driveway. He was able to get a good look at Mali's car in daylight and found himself grinning. It was, by appearances, a hell of a machine.

He made a mental note to clean out the other side of the garage so it could be parked inside, rather than left out. The neighborhood had always been good, but it was not the type where you left a car like that out very long.

He picked up the paper, in its plastic bag, and felt the burn of the frost on his hand. The storm from up north still hadn't swung down but the ominous, grey clouds said that would end soon.

Chuck wanted to introduce Mali to the rest of the team today. His only uncertainty was in when she would finally get up. He wasn't lying when he said that she looked like hell. She had all the appearances of somebody who had been up nearly a week straight and worn out from the road. He really didn't count on her being up much before noon. He heard the ring of the phone inside and almost snarled as he hotfooted himself back inside to get it. Threw the paper on the kitchen table.

"Taggart."

"Well, good morning to you too, sunshine."

Mendel's chippy voice aggravated all the more. He was obviously better-rested than anybody in the group.

"Fuck off, Kurt."

"Is our friend in-town yet?"

"Just got in late, last night. She's still asleep."

"I'm glad to hear it. Look, when she does get up could you two pay a visit over here? I have something the both of you might really like to see."

When Mali's eyes finally opened to the room she was in she could see the rain that pelted the windows. It was a pretty dreary day but she still took comfort in listening to the steady cadence of the dripping from the eaves. She listened to it for a minute or two before picking up her watch from the nightstand.

1305 hours.

Her eyes looked back up at the ceiling and saw the minute holes where something must've hung from at one time. It could not have been that easy to bag and box a child's possessions with the expectation that they never would be returning home. Once again, it made Mali question her decision to stay down here until she shipped out; until she remembered the folks on St. Mark's.

She could have stayed in a hotel room until ship-out. Could have returned early and have been deployed without causing Taggart and his crew harm. Wasn't it enough that they, and her, knew about each other?

Mali yawned and stretched.

If her bucking what she originally did five years ago wasn't enough, then choosing to not become a Plastic was bound to irritate. It seemed to already have accomplished that.

She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her eyes went to the window again and looked at it. Before getting up and walking to it to look out. She paused to look down at its lock a moment, before turning it to lock again. Her old habit from her apartment at the Cape.

* * *

**Kurt's Loft**

Chuck slid the door to the side. After the lift came to a stop he had paused. Didn't know what to expect, but walked forward anyway.

Thought that his eyes would rest upon Kurt and whatever the man had come up with. Lord knew, they had seen plenty of things in the past many months that most would never see in their lives. What he didn't expect to see was the Sentient that stood there.

Taggart dearly wished he'd brought his grandfather's Colt with him. Knew Mali had her Glock under her arm. Not even going to Kurt's place would keep an officer from not having their sidearm. He knew Mali had stiffened and refused to move. A glance at her set face told him that she knew who this man was.

"I know what you're thinking. He's here to talk."

Mendel tried to reassure, but he knew Flynn was buying none of it. Nor was his 'old friend'.

"Last fucking time we 'talked', Kurt, **it **clocked me upside the head and laid me out on the ground!"

Taggart recalled the scene at Ellie's too clearly. Way too clearly. In her greenhouse/lab. Five Synths had become conveyances for the Martians the parasites put into them. All from a rock- it was picked up on the moon, but was not of the moon.

The Sentient looked at Flynn intently. Began to speak in a tongue that neither Kurt or Taggart understood. However, they could see that Mali knew it. Knew it from a long time back in her memory. How in hell it even knew she had once been a Synth surprised her.

"It is good that you have come here."

Mali felt reluctant to even step out of the hallway and into Kurt's apartment. She still tried to move herself. She took a few steps back, towards the lift. Her hand switched the lever to lock the lift at the floor. If 'it' had company they would have to levitate and jump through windows. She refrained from drawing out her weapon.

She didn't want to respond. Couldn't understand how they would have picked up that she might have been a Plastic at one time. Wondered if the Seeker had left some old material from that time inside her mental pathways. She made a determined effort to speak in English to Taggart. Quietly.

"It's trying to get into the old pathways in my mind."

Taggart sensed that the Sentient's language was trying to trigger something inside Mali. She was not infested with being a Synth here. Her mind, however, must not have quite adapted to such things being gone. Little wonder why she killed any Synth she saw. That this 'thing' was a Sentient must have given it a type of perception only Mali was aware of. He addressed the being as he stepped ahead of her. All of it truly pissed him off.

"What in hell are you doing here, you sonofabitch!"

The Sentient paused to regard him. Responded in its faintly mechanical voice.

"You are not important."

Taggart looked at Kurt, who seemed immobilized by his company. Could see the fear and that his friend would do nothing to honestly stop the creature. Likely Kurt wanted to dissect this one 'for further study' like some of the others. Or, more likely, thought it was kin to that fucked-up, mind-sucking abortion he'd created not too long ago. Taggart saw Mali look at the creature and take only a few steps further, then stopped. She spoke in the same language the Sentient had used. There was no hint of English in it.

"Why are you here?"

"For you. You are required. You need to return."

"I will not go back."

The Sentient blinked. As if her answer were not what it was expecting. Its having to be in a semi-organic body prevented it from fully accessing her mind.

"What's he saying?"

Taggart asked.

"Wants me to become one of them- again. I said no. It doesn't fully comprehend what I said."

Mali said lowly. This one wasn't used to being rejected. She touched Taggart's arm. Seemed aware of something about to happen.

"Step away, slowly. Now."

He moved off and saw the Sentient draw something from its jacket pocket. What seemed an innocuous, tiny, black rock. It could have been a piece from the lunar sample back at Ellie's lab. Somehow, he doubted it. That chunk had completely morphed into parasites that attached to the Synths, injected whatever the fuck was in them, then dropped off. Shattered like black glass on the ground.

Mali watched it and never took her eyes from it. The Sentient believed that she was making herself acceptable to being inserted by one of the parasites that would spring from it. It was already starting to change in the Sentient's hand. Was transforming into the prickly, black cactus that began to glow. She knew exactly what it planned and what would come out of the rock. Knew precisely where her Glock was and how to draw with the least wasted motion, but made no move to go for it. She would only have one chance to get them all destroyed.

Taggart was about to say something when the rock exploded and he found himself diving for cover. Gunshots blasted in his ears, deafening him temporarily. Kurt had also jumped away from things, taking safety behind a counter. When Taggart's eyes saw the scene again, he saw black shards at Mali's feet. She still had the Glock leveled on the Sentient in a combat stance. His eyes squinted through the haze, trying to see if one of the parasites had lodged in her chest.

She had brought the gun out and shot three 'bugs' as they flew out and tried to impale her. The shots connected them. Each blew apart like exploded balloons. The Sentient reacted with very unalienlike surprise. Especially as the rock had only held enough for three and no more.

"I told you. I am NOT going back!"

Mali snarled, in clear English, before unloading the rest of the Glock into the Sentient. Rounds hit wetly- two in his head and twelve into the chest. Pieces of bone, white blood and flesh went flying all over. The impacts made the Sentient lurch forward and hit the ground. Its organic form was dead. When she lowered her weapon, there was no parasite attached to her. There never was. She'd blown them from the air. The last one by mere inches.

Taggart got back on his feet. Kurt walked up to look at the fragments and corpse on the floor. Mali was still looking at the dead Sentient while loading in a new magazine and flicking the magazine release. The slide slid forward, fully reloaded. Took no chances until she was reassured the being was completely dead.

"Burn it well. The pieces of the bugs too. All of it. No examinations, no studies!"

Mali spat, the hatred was hot in her eyes. Taggart had little doubt that some of the venom was directed at Kurt.

"How the hell did it find you?!"

Taggart looked at Kurt. He felt anger too, and hurt that Kurt would knowingly ask them into such a situation without any real warning at all. Taggart had thought his friend had snooped up some shit, not this. Now he saw that Kurt was still trying to scientifically 'research' the damn things. Even had suggested digging up 'Harry' to pursue his studies. After all their encounters. Was still trying to do the same damn thing. Nearly lost Angela to these thugs and was still pursuing this type of shit..

"I asked it to be here. I thought if we tried to communicate with.."

Kurt said before he saw the rage come back into Flynn's eyes. Her focus on him was a bit disconcerting. Especially as she had not reholstered her weapon.

Mali swung around and leveled the Glock on Kurt. Saw the man go sheet-white.

"You 'asked', you fuck?! Don't you realize that these THINGS will do anything to reassimilate me! Synth or Sentient, they want me to become one of them again!"

Taggart stepped forward to try and get Mali to lower her weapon, but saw that she did it on her own. Saw her face turn from anger to hurt. Had no doubt that if Kurt had been an enemy there would be two, not one, body to dispose of.

"You ignorant bastard."

She said lowly, sadly, then turned back to the lift. As she stowed her gun, she unlocked it again. Never waited for Taggart to join her. Went down solo, the gate crashing shut behind her.

"Let's char this mess! I got flares in my trunk."

Taggart said. He honestly did not know what to make of Kurt Mendel anymore. No doubt it would be a hunt to find Flynn once they had done as she ordered. Hell, she knew somebody like Kurt better than he did. Knew he needed to be explicitly TOLD what the fuck to do with this mess.

"Christ! That's all you both can do is kill them."

Kurt said, after a moment's thought. In the tense silence that had descended after Flynn left them alone. It was too damn lucky that his landlady wasn't in residence and was gone on holiday vacation. She would have a fit if she had heard what just went on. As it was, he'd nearly gotten evicted after the fiasco with the police over Angela.

"Did you hear what the fuck she just said, Kurt! Or doesn't she get a fucking choice! She was one of them, fully imprisoned! She had NO way of ever getting out of that shit!"

Taggart looked down at the Sentient and wanted to rip the damn creature to shreds. It had caused more than enough trouble. The whole shitting deal was wanting to be dealt with in a manner Chuck Taggart would seriously enjoy indulging- extreme violence and prejudice.

"You wanted to fucking invite them to tea and chat with her!"

Kurt looked at the mess on the floor. To be angry was pointless. As much as Chuck Taggart wanted to be a cowboy- on more than one occasion- this time he was right.

"I've run out of body bags."

"Then we need fucking **garbage bags **to get the shit downstairs."

All he could think about was getting this shit cleaned up and hoping like hell Mali wouldn't book off by herself. Though he would understand completely if she had.

* * *

**Two Hours Later**

Chuck Taggart didn't need to drive far before he saw the figure that sat on the park bench, a few hours later. The park was only three blocks from Kurt's. She didn't move or look back as he parked, got out, walked up, and sat beside her. The smoky smell from the impromptu cremation was likely all over him, but he didn't care. Flynn had been crying; her puffed eyes and flushed face seemed to be coming off of it. Likely felt frustration at having 'them' coming out from all the corners after the relative peace of St. Mark's. Now he could understand why she liked living on a remote island so much. He'd always heard that she was almost coldly professional- in space and out of it. He knew better now.

"Its done. Everything got burned."

Mali took a deep breath that came out as a sigh. Looked out at the park. She didn't want to look at him. He probably thought she was going off the edge. Hated herself for even bawling over the whole fucking stink. Wished like hell that she was over in Afghanistan, where emotions could never come into play behind a sniper's rifle.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Bringing all of you into this shit. My shit. You had enough going on."

"You didn't bring us 'in' to anything. We found you, remember?"

Taggart saw her look down again.

"Commander, you are looking at somebody who is normally a loner in life. A person who, when she was turned into a Synth, never had a moment's peace in her mind anymore."

Mali looked up, out across the park. She shut her eyes against the vision of the huge vortex, the one that looked like a draining planetary tub.

"The 'Seeker' never gave me the choice about coming back or not. To be honest, I have sometimes wished that it would have let me die with the ISS. It was nice to have my mind back to myself for the few minutes I had there, before the earth imploded on itself."

"Do you want to leave us?"

He wondered if that was the right choice of words. It sounded almost like what could be said about the Synth/Sentient crowd. To leave 'us'. Sounded too much like bailing on friends, or the 'group'. Still, the Odyssey 5 was a 'group'. That group, if it couldn't have supporters on the outside, sure as hell needed more members on the inside.

Taggart was surprised when she put her forehead against his shoulder.

"No. That's the shit about all of are the only people who truly understand."

Mali said quietly. As much as she wasn't given to such displays, she couldn't help it. Taggart had begun to grow on her. Something she would have never allowed herself to do. At least, not with a fellow astronaut. Not in the old timeline.

Taggart found himself putting his cheek against the top of her head. Unexpectedly brought her into his arms. Held her tight. Felt it reciprocated. The loneliness she must have felt seemed to permeate into him and found its echo.

After a minute or two of closeness, they separated. But not by much. Both stood and Mali rubbed her eyes. Looked at him, then away. Wondered if he felt as awkward as she about showing such weakness. It was hard for her to not know that he was pretty appealing, even if he was an older man. Paige had been a quite fortunate woman, before she died.

"Want to head home?"

Taggart asked. Still letting his blue eyes look at her. In a way they hadn't before.

"No. If you don't mind, how about some place with food."

She looked at him again and saw a smile crinkle his mouth. One that spoke much more than his scant use of words.

* * *

**Evening**

The clock hit nearly 7:00.

Neil looked up from the hot pocket he was eating. Saw the looks on both of them as they came in the door. It was already nearly seven.

"Thought we were going out to eat?"

"That's off. We had a go-around with a Sentient at Kurt's."

Taggart saw the kid munching.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Kurt called. He informed me what went on. Wanted to say that he's sorry. He tried looking for you two but you were already gone."

"I'm going upstairs. I need to get some sleep."

Mali said. She had heard enough in what little Kurt had said. She'd forgiven him, but would never forget.

Taggart watched her leave. Turned back to look at Neil

"Did Kurt tell you that he invited a Sentient over to 'talk' with us?"

"He said it showed up at his door."

"What else did he say?"

"He was just kinda bummed out. He did mention the party is still on for Saturday."

* * *

**Tuesday, December 17****th****, 2002 **

**Underground- Somewhere in Texas**

Cynthia Hodge saw the center of the Cadre formed up.

Reddling, Perry, General Pierce and her. It was no secret to any of them that Flynn was in town and, in all likelihood, had teamed with Taggart and his group. What was of interest was the communications that were taking place between the Sentients and Synths. It seemed that Flynn had killed one of the Sentients.

"They may not be of this world but they are fairly stupid to think somebody like Flynn would come to their side willingly. Especially once Taggart and his crew are with her."

Senator Perry snorted. He had, quite reluctantly, backed off and allowed his daughter to retain her association with them.

"General, isn't Flynn due to ship out for Afghanistan shortly?"

Congressman Reddling asked.

"She is."

General Pierce seemed uncomfortable with the discussion of her reactivated status. Then again, it had always been active. She had even gone out on 'assignments' while she had been in NASA. A little extra pocket change, as it were. She always did well and always got out clean.

"What we need is for her to rejoin the Cadre. I admit, the last thing I expected was that she was going to get so unglued after Ed Scriven's death. Still, isn't there a way the Army could release her back to NASA?"

Hodge offered.

"And you think you can find a way, Director?"

Pierce countered.

"I have pull, but getting her deactivated to remain stateside will take some doing. The situation in Afghanistan requires people with the Major's 'talents'."

"And the Army doesn't have enough snipers to pick off the damn ragheads?"

Perry chortled.

"With all the budget cuts to the military of the Clinton era? No, Senator, the Army doesn't have masses of highly-trained snipers to take out 'ragheads'."

Pierce bristled. It was known that Senator Perry had even supported some cuts, covertly of course. He looked at Hodge.

"If you can find a way to bring her back in, I'm sure the Army could delay things. The problem you'll have is in convincing somebody like Flynn that duty to NASA is more important than duty to her Nation."

_Well, she does like to play with guns._

"Leave that to me, General."

Hodge said. The way would be round about, but it might just work. There would just have to be some pain first.

* * *

**Kurt's Loft **

He'd begun patching the first chance he had to get up. Really had no choice..or option.

Kurt was nearly finished with patching one of the bullet holes when Angela came in and looked about. The look on her face said it all. She'd opted to pay a call to talk with Kurt about what had happened earlier. Seemingly, only she was the person he really wanted to talk to.

"Jesus, Kurt, 'shootout at the OK Corral'?"

"Very funny. No, Major Flynn has no sense of humor...or tolerance."

"Would you expect her to? She was a Plastic, once."

Angela felt something under her foot. She looked down and backed off from a piece of something black. It crunched to powder under her feet. It almost seemed to poke through the sole of her shoe. She bent down to look at it better.

"What the hell is that?"

Kurt came over. When he saw the inky material he pulled her from it. Didn't want her to touch it. Too many were being turned over to have it happen to her.

"Remnant of a Martian parasite."

"How many were there?"

"Three, I think. At least by the amount of debris."

Kurt went to get a broom.

"Flynn blew them out of the air with her pistol."

"Listen, Kurt, I have a hell of a day on tap and would like to get..."

Angela turned as Mark Taggart and Penny Whitsun came from a hidden corner of the loft. Each had the distinct, dead gaze of a Synth. Angela caught the briefest scan of Kurt's thermal camera. A scan that showed them both to be yellow and green, not a human red and yellow.

"Oh, holy shit."

"You've had a hell of a day, darling? Well, that makes two of us."

Kurt looked at her with sad resignation for his condition..

Taggart came in from his run and saw Mali's car gone from the driveway.

Grabbing the paper from the driveway and going into the house, he beelined to the kitchen. Neil was still there. Then again, it was only 6:15 in the morning.

"Where's Mali?"

"She went over to the post office and went to get some stuff. She said she'd be back in a bit."

Neil said, looking over his trigonometry book and munching on a toaster waffle.

Chuck grunted and went to the fridge and grabbed out a bottle of water. He saw how damn little there was. Shit, he really should have gone shopping. He recalled Mali and he at the restaurant a night ago. She ate but she didn't seem too happy about it. She had seen that he noticed and explained that, for years, she really did not eat any food when she was a Plastic. Eating again was something of a chore, even if her body screamed to be fed now.

She left damned early, though.

They were broken from their thoughts by the ringing phone.

* * *

They had blindfolded both Angela and he.

Kurt had no idea of exactly where they were. All he could surmise, from the damp smell, is that they were either near water or in a wooded area. The ground under their feet was soggy, almost squishy. He heard birds, when the Synth noises weren't chattering away.

He couldn't claim that they treated them well. At least, there was none of what they had done to Chuck a while back. Kurt didn't really like the notion of being turned into a 'Plastic'. Found the whole idea of being turned into a mindless drone for an uber-entity to be a bit disgusting. He was beginning to understand why Mali hated them so much.

When they both came to a stop, and the Synths ripped off their blindfolds, the light hit Kurt's eyes full force. Then coalesced into a wooded area and the opening they stood in was surrounded by it. They really were out in the middle of nowhere.

"What now?"

Angela asked, staying close to Kurt.

"I don't know. We can only hope we're found."

Kurt didn't add the 'alive or dead' part. He found the thought to be a bit disturbing..

* * *

Not knowing when she would get back, Chuck and Neil opted to leave a phone message and a written note telling her to play the answering machine. The blue Mustang had screamed out of the neighborhood forty minutes ago.

"Listen, Mali, this is Neil. Dad got a call from Mark. He's gotten himself injured up at the Trinity River National Refuge where he was hunting. Dad and I are booking up there. As soon as you get this message call the cell number and we'll give you an update."

Mali pushed the button. The machine clicked off.

Dammit. Have to get completely changed now. It was only a matter of time before the Plastics would set this trap. There was no need to call them back. She knew what would likely happen next.

In less than ten minutes, she was back out the door. With her 50 cal. In its case and a bundle of what looked to be greenish rags. There was too much to not go prepared for the worst.

* * *

**Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge**

They calmly paid the admittance and drove around the roads of the Refuge. Drove until they came to a cluster of vans. Synths liked to drive in packs and the area the vehicles were parked in was wooded enough to make things dicey.

They would have never known that Mark was with Synths had they not heard a fragment of Synth chatter when Mark called, pretending to be somehow injured. Neil had wisely put the phone on speaker as Mark babbled about having gone hunting and shot himself while stalking waterfowl.

It was a lie- for the simple fact that there was no hunting going on, nor was the Mark they knew a dope with firearms. He knew his way around weapons. Especially after the Air Force and Basic Training. He wasn't Mali's level of expert, but he was competent.

Chuck grabbed the Colt from his glovebox and checked the rounds. He really should have broken down and at least gotten a modern .45 or even what he once referred to as a 'pussy 9mm' like Flynn had. Suffice to say, it had comported itself admirably in putting holes in a Synth. It also held 18 rounds when chock full, not the mere 6 of his grandfather's gun. He had to admit, the idea of putting a possible 18 Synths in the ground was more appealing than 6.

"Shit, I don't like this."

Neil muttered. They hadn't been able to raise Sarah, which was perhaps just as well. They would have need of definite fighters. He couldn't fault his father for going to try and rescue his eldest son. It was the only thing for a father to do.

"No choice on this one."

Chuck responded and took point. He hoped Mali had gotten the message. She hadn't called back while they were driving. It took an hour to get here and they left the cell in the vehicle. If the Synths had Mark- or Mark was one- they didn't need to know that Mali was enroute.

Both men disappeared down the wooded path and into the woods and brush.

* * *

Angela's heart raced.

Her head tried to look around, but her and Kurt were well tied. They had a large group of Synths about. Her eyes kept going back to Mark Taggart. Tall and looked a lot like his father in many ways- Save that he didn't have his father's hatred of having been turned into a Synth. Not that Chuck's son talked much now. He had looked at Neil with the coldness of a complete stranger. That truly seemed what Synths knew best. There was no reasoning, nor was their compassion.

She heard the sounds in the woods. Sounds of a struggle. Voices.

Chuck? Neil?

Kurt nudged Angela and they saw Mark look off into the woods. There was movement. Just where it was coming from couldn't be pinpointed exactly.

* * *

**Ten minutes later-**

Mali moved through the woods. A moving clump of what seemed a leaf pile. It could hear the noises and carefully moved in and opposite of the path through the woods. When it found a point it liked, and had a distant view of the people in the clearing, it settled into the ground..

More forms were moving in too, but this one was the closest and had the best vantage.

She moved slowly over the long, rectangular case it carried and extracted the rifle. Silently drew out the box of ammunition and began to feed in the specialized rounds. Ones she had custom-made. Her military-issue ones were always fully accounted for. There would have been no way to use them without having to make a full disclosure to the Army about when, where, and how they were used.

She brought her eyes up to the few forms that were walking in a prescribed area about a thousand yards distant. They hadn't picked up on her. They were more occupied with those who had been coming through the woods behind them.

* * *

Taggart had tried to talk to his son, but there was no point. Even Neil kept his mouth shut when he saw the dead gaze of his older brother turn onto him.

Mark was so far gone that he might as well be dead like his mother. To see his eldest reduced to an automaton was the height of pain. Not even seeing Penny induced such discomfort. They both were, what Mali had aptly described as, 'immersed'.

The Synths were waiting for Flynn. The four of them were the bait. He didn't know if she would even come up here. Or, if she did, if she would come up with one of her 'kids'.

Chuck looked around at Neil and his friends and wondered where this would all lead. Unlike so many other encounters, the Synths didn't talk to them now. There really was no point talking back. Taggart and all of them would be completely ignored.

"They keep looking around."

Neil whispered.

"If she's here, they haven't found her."

Angela responded.

_Gods, I hope they don't._

Taggart thought. Somewhere he felt she must have gotten the message. Just didn't know if she was near here yet.

"She'd leave a thermal signature."

Kurt said quietly.

"The Synths seem to have an ability there."

"They do."

Chuck affirmed. He'd nearly strangled Neil to death not but a few months ago.

One of the Synths came up and knocked Kurt out with hit from his steel-toe boot. They all reacted with shock. Angela moved closer, trying to shield Kurt from more blows.

None came. The group returned to looking. Even talking quietly was not what the Synths wanted them to do. Then, as if on invisible cue, they left them with three guards and disappeared into the woods.

Chuck watched the three keep looking. It wasn't long before he saw one drop, with a bullet having gone through its forehead. The other two tried to move and warn, but one caught a bullet through the throat and the last got shot between the eyes. Both fell to the ground without noise or movement.

Taggart marveled at the silence of it all before a gunfight exploded about them. Some of the Synths came back. Wanted to get to them but got cut down. He watched it happen as if it were slow motion. Watched Mark and Penny appear from the woods once more. Watched Penny fall and hit the ground face-first. After a hole had been blown through her chest.

He opened his mouth as if to yell something to his son. Saw Mark look at him and draw a gun from the coat he wore. Instead of leveling it at those shooting at him, he drew a bead on his own father. Taggart's eyes went wide in shock. Was about to fall on his side to escape the bullets. However, not fast enough to see a black-clad soldier come out of the brush and blow a hole in Mark's chest.

He watched his son's guts blow out: pasty white and pink. Not a trace of blood, human blood, in any of it. Mark turned, seemed surprised, looked at the man who'd shot him. Then got hit with a bullet in his head from the same shooter. Brain exploded out in a spray from the back of his skull.

Mark Taggart, or what had been him, fell to the ground like a felled log. For one of the few times Chuck Taggart could recall, he yelled in pain and horror. Neil could only look in shock as his brother lay on the ground.

* * *

Mali saw Mark's death through the scope.

There was little in her experience that phased her in the job she did. It didn't prevent the twist in her gut that Taggart must have felt upon realizing that his eldest son had been turned into a Synth. Paige had been killed by them. Now Mark had the same fate for being one.

No doubt, Mali would have been killed-or Taggart- eventually.

Neither of them had any plans to become a Synth again.

She drew back from the scope and watched the Cadre forces move in. From where she was, they would not have seen her. She did wonder how the Trinity Park rangers were going to explain all the gunshots on the government-owned land. Not that it really was a concern to her.

She watched and her hand picked up the warm, brass casings out of habit Her mind recalled where the Cadre kept their hideout. Recalled the gun-emplacements and every security measure on the 500-acre site. Getting in would be little problem for her. Getting out was likely to be.....difficult.

* * *

The soldier who'd shot Mark whistled to his partner. Together they pulled the four to their feet. Then kept weapons on them. Especially after Taggart tried to head butt one of them and got whacked on the head for doing so. He wobbled but did not black out. Pain kept him compliant.

It wasn't five minutes before more soldiers in camo appeared from out of the trees and dragged them away. Dragged them to non-descript cars and blindfolded them all.

* * *

Mali stayed low as she crept back to her vehicle with her rifle.

She had parked her car off-road and in a way where she couldn't be seen from the elevated road that circled through the huge preserve. In the weeds, she did see a line of black cars speed from the sight.. Retained her ghillie suit. She wasn't finished yet.

* * *

**A half hour later-**

The leaders of the Cadre sat in their underground bunker.

Looked at the group of four that staggered in with blindfolds. Stayed quiet as the four were lined up in front of them. All of them seemed shaky on their feet. Certainly seemed disoriented, until their blinds were taken off and they got a good look around, then to the four who sat at the table they faced.

For Chuck Taggart to see Senator Perry and Director Hodge at the same table was no shock to him. It only confirmed beliefs he held since they had returned from the future. Beliefs further cemented by Layton Scott's confirmation of the existence of the Cadre as a real entity within NASA. Before Layton got turned into a Synth/Sentient lackey.

Angela tried not to be open-mouthed at seeing her father sitting at the table, but she simply could not help it. All the lies, all the times when he said he knew nothing about projects, Bright Sky, or anything. Dismissed his own daughter as if she were stupid and without the capability to think for herself. She saw a Congressman and an Army general also sitting at the table and wondered exactly who they were and what they represented.

"Well, Commander Taggart, it would seem that you have finally made enough of a nuisance of yourself to be brought here."

Hodge spoke, with the self-assurance of somebody who could not be touched by things harmful.

"I'd like to know exactly where 'here' is."

"Don't worry. It will be destroyed soon. Not even you and your crew will be able to find it. I must say that your tenacity, and that of your group, is quite remarkable."

"Coming from a woman who refers to me as a 'dinosaur'."

"I've been having a hard time reasoning exactly why you should remain in NASA. Ed Scrivens is in no position to help you now. I think you know who killed him and it wasn't ordered by anything human."

"I'm sure Cadre hands are bloody enough."

Taggart spat, his head felt like a throbbing football.

"Cadre hands are bloody with Synth blood, Commander."

The General commented, almost patronizing.

"We find them to be our enemies. As you certainly must know, by now."

"Then what the hell is this? A happy get-together of people who hate them?"

"You could say, Commander, that we are trying to find some use for you and your band."

Senator Perry studiously avoided the angry glare of his daughter.

"I'm sure that my own daughter doesn't want to see her own career cut short by all of this. Especially having been sullied by all the dealings you like to get into."

"Is that your grand plan? Hold us all hostage to wanting to remain in NASA?"

"Commander, you **are **guilty of destroying Bright Sky. A multi-million dollar satellite. One that had a very important use. One that is hard for us to overlook. The only reason you haven't been charged is because, yes, you **might** be of some use to the Cadre."

Hodge countered, then sat up.

"I might also add that you seem to have charmed Major Flynn. By the way, where is she?"

"How in hell would I know?!"

"We have proof that she is staying with you and your son in Houston. Don't try to snowjob us, Commander."

Perry demanded.

"The snowjob is coming from all of you!"

Taggart snarled. After watching Mark die, he was in no mood to discuss a person who had brought little more than trouble since she first arrived in Houston. His having asked her mattered not right now.

The group of four looked at each other. They seemed to come to an agreement. Then the Congressman tapped his headset and turned away to speak quietly into the microphone.

"It would seem that we don't have to look far. The good Major has decided to join us."

The Army general, Pierce, said as he turned in his seat.

They all turned to look at the elevator that was flanked by guards. The car that came down disgorged a form in a full ghillie suit. One that still held its long rifle in its hands, then slung it over a shoulder as it walked towards them.

"Please join us, Major. We were just talking about you."

The form walked under the spotlights.

A concealed hand took off the net and fabric head covering. Mali's eyes looked hard at four faces she certainly had seen before, in another time and place. Even recently, when they tried courting her to join the Cadre. Had been on the verge of accepting. Until she 'reawoke' and Ed Scrivens had been killed. The whole chain of events that begun when she woke up in her old apartment at the Cape. A completely different place than the one she had just come out of. A time where she could still change, for herself, what her life might become.

"I can only imagine what about."

She looked over at Taggart, then back at Hodge.

"You planning on canning him? Or are you going to set him out for the Plastics too? You seem hell-bent on deserting- or killing- what you can't control."

"Major, your tone is...disagreeable."

"And you wish me to be agreeable? To what? Joining the damn Cadre?! I thought your Plastic children were the great, grand, unmanned dream for the future of spaceflight!"

"Major!"

Hodge snarled, perhaps thinking she was still in a meeting room at the JSC, not here. A half mile below the Texas soil.

"No, Madam Director, I will not be silent. The four you see here know as much of the Plastics as any of us. My question to all of you is are you going to kill them now for knowing?"

"Major, I think you are reading too much into this."

"Am I? The bastards kidnapped them to get to me! Now why do you think that is? IT can't be because I'm so damned useless to all of you. Commander Taggart lost his eldest son today! A prospective astronaut who'd been turned into a damn Plastic! All because you boys and girls were too lax on the job!"

Taggart looked at her. It dawned on him that she had been there. Had picked off the three guards around them, before the rest had come back. Would have gotten them out of there. If the Cadre hadn't gotten there first.

"No, Major, you do have your use. The problem is, how you choose to use it determines what happens to your four friends here. Not to mention **your** precarious position with NASA."

Hodge tried to reassert her control.

Mali gave a smile. It was not one of happiness, not when her eyes were frozen solid. Hodge's threat was far from welcome.

"If you would wish things to be 'positive', you will let all of them go. You will not impede, interfere with them- or their families- and will never intrude into their lives again. I might even suggest that since you like people who are 'useful', you might even welcome some assistance with sniffing out the alien population that now seems to be growing here. I'd have to say that they've made far more progress than the Cadre has even done, to this point."

"Is that a **demand**, Major?"

Hodge snapped, with arrogance.

"Would you like me to make **you** a pet project of mine? I'm sure there are those who'll be quite interested in things they'll get if I don't get out of here alive. I do plan for such contingencies, you know. Blame my training."

Mali smiled, the threat was obvious.

The four at the table looked distinctly uncomfortable with being placed on the spot. It was Senator Perry who spoke first.

"You bitch!"

"And you're an asshole."

Mali looked on him with barely disguised contempt. Knew that had made Angela Perry smile inside.

"Senator, enough."

Congressman Reddling counseled. He looked at Mali.

"You make an interesting point, Major."

"Sir, I can only speak for myself. It would be up to my four friends as to whether or not they would wish to accept your offer. As for me, my willingness is dependent upon their safe release of these four and NO further threats- on them- from any of you."

Hodge's face turned nearly as apoplectic as that of Senator Perry. General Pierce seemed to be more contemplative, much like Reddling. The four of them had much to weigh.

"We will consult with our superiors. You will be informed of our decision."

Congressman Reddling said.

"I will also add that none of you are to speak of any of this to anyone. If any of you try, the results would be...unfortunate. We all have our secrets to keep and security to be maintained. I'm sure all of you can understand the need?"

"What of my son's body?"

Taggart called out. His mind still reeled with all that had gone on. Tried hard to not focus on losing his son, along with his wife, to what was being discussed in this space.

The four looked at each other. Again, Hodge and Senator Perry seemed the most uncomfortable with all of it. Congressman Reddling spoke again.

"He will be brought back. Wherever you want him taken. You will be contacted."

The Congressmen motioned for the guards to come up. Spoke to them.

"Untie all of them and lead them out."

Reddling paused to regard Flynn. Seemed intrigued with her.

"Major, remain with us for a bit. Would you?"

The four left her standing while they were escorted out. They heard nothing as the blast-proof door shut behind them.

* * *

When their blindfolds were finally able to be removed, the guards were gone. They were standing beside Mali's Impala. All of them seemed to be in shock at how the majority of the day had just gone. Had gone from them having spent months, picking about and finding clues about Synths, Sentients and the Cadre to being met head-on, full-force, with the very leadership of the Cadre.

They all stood around silently. None really caring to say anything. There was no telling how many soldiers were in the woods and how many of those had listening devices. The only safety would be in the car and getting the hell out of here.

They didn't have to wait long. Mali came down the path; a moving mound of vegetation with a head. They could tell by her face that she'd been given some news that she wasn't about to discuss with them.

She tapped her door button on her fob.

"Neil, haul out that rifle case from the back seat so it can be put into the trunk."

Mali unslung her rifle and looked about as Neil brought the case back to her. Put it back in her case, reluctantly. Noted that Neil stayed with her. Odd, the kid just lost his brother and he stayed near her, not his father. She looked at him and put a hand on his shoulder. She knew the look too well. It was the shock of losing someone close. She had the same look, once. Back when she had to bury her parents and had looked in the mirror at herself.

"Its alright. Get in the car."

The black Impala peeled away from the site. It wasn't until they hit the interstate that the silence got broken. Namely, by Chuck Taggart who finally seemed to let go of what he thought of all of them being in the same room with the Cadre's leadership. He could barely stand to look at Mali.

"So what deal did you cut with them?"

Mali's mouth curved into a wry smirk.

"You call it a 'deal'? I was politely informed that if any of you fucks up, I'm dead. That's the fucking 'deal' they cut with me. No doubt, they speak for those who were not there."

"This...offer. They want us to work for the Cadre now?"

Kurt tried to articulate his thoughts. Suffice to say, he wasn't having a good go of it.

"Trust is earned. None of us would be considered part of the Cadre until they say so. You could say that our lives are on 'borrowed time' now. They would have been happy to have killed all of us and termed it an 'unfortunate accident'."

"_Unfortunate accident_. Like my son's life was, to them?"

Taggart nearly spat.

"Mark's death would have come, in time. As a Plastic, he had no other option. The Network would have seen to that. They don't tolerate someone going renegade. If Mark would have."

Mali said as they finally got back on the way to Houston.

"What will they do with his body?"

Neil asked, leaning forward. He was trying hard to not get overcome, yet.

"Cremate it. Its too dangerous to be left intact. The nanobots could infest others."

Mali tried not to look at Chuck. He was likely ready to throttle her. She kept her eyes forward.

"You want a way to bring down the Synths, the Sentients, maybe even the Cadre?"

"We want a fucking way to keep the world from being blown to shit!"

Taggart finally did look at Mali: he glared.

"Then do it from the inside!"

Mali shot back. Then added, quietly.

"I don't think you know how much they would have loved to kill all of us about an hour ago."

"I thought the Cadre was working with the Sentients?"

Angela asked.

"I don't know about that. I do know they regard the Plastics as a pestilence now. To be eradicated. It is not like it was before."

Mali didn't dare look at Chuck. All she could surmise is that she would have to find a place to stay until word came through, or the Army still sent her overseas. In any case, she doubted she had any welcome in the Taggart household now. At least after Mark Taggart was finally laid to rest.

* * *

"You would have us believe they can be trusted?!"

Senator Perry said to Reddling.

"You honestly buy that?"

"You seem to not even be able to trust your own daughter, Senator. I think your judgment is clouded by emotion."

Hodge shook her head.

"Taggart destroyed the Bright Sky satellite. He stole materials from the Lunar Receiving Facility! How much more do you want him to do?!"

"I doubt he'll be able to do much of anything now. You forget he's lost his son."

Reddling looked at General Pierce.

"General, how does the Army feel about Major Flynn. She is due for deployment."

"I'd say her deployment is in question now. If the Administration sees fit, she'll likely be retained stateside. There is work for her to do. Not to mention that, for the sake of proper appearances.."

Pierce looked at Hodge.

"..the Major would best be served to have her NASA credentials restored. Perhaps even allow her to get back her astronaut certification. I can't imagine that she would be wanted to remain 'grounded' for the duration."

Hodge looked away.

"She's as much a menace to the Agency as Taggart!"

"Really? You happen to have proof? Aside from what seems to be her alliance with Taggart and his group?"

Reddling spoke up. His long fingers touched a plain file on the table.

"She's killed a few Sentients, and a few Synths. Nothing to be considered crimes of any real merit. I also think you that you didn't see the writing on the wall, Director."

"That being what, Congressman?"

"Taggart won't do a damn thing to jeopardize his friends. Flynn is, unlikely as it seems, one of his friends. I think that even if you put him back into NASA, he wouldn't be inclined to cause waves now."

Reddling looked at Hodge.

"Even 'dinosaurs' have their uses, Director."

* * *

**December 23****rd****, 2002**

The funeral of Mark Taggart was a military one.

As he was, technically, still active in the Air Force he received all honors due his grade. The solemnity of the occasion seemed out of place, two days before Christmas. Suffice to say, the story of things having been a 'hunting accident' hadn't been widely publicized.

As Mali stood at attention, in uniform, and looked at the small urn, she had to wonder how different things would have been if the Cadre had taken its shine to Mark. Had taken him in, rather than ignore him and allow the Plastics to infest him.

The Taggart house was reeling from yet another funeral- two in the same year. She should know. She lived there, still. Hadn't been kicked out, yet. Chuck had barely spoken anything to either Neil, or her, for damn near a week. The arrival of Jenny Taggart-Powell only made things more strained. The woman looked at Mali like she was a gold-digger. It modified a little bit when she found that Mali was only staying in the house until her deployment and also worked at NASA. Not by much, though.

Now, sitting next to Neil, she did honestly try to keep her composure behind the stony mask of discipline. Aunt Jenny was the one to sit next to Chuck as the man took the flag that had draped the coffin of his son. Saw the man bow his head. The final blow had been struck.

The funeral ended and those who attended were thanked.

Mali stood off to watch from a distance and found Angela and Kurt joining her quite soon. Sarah remained down with Neil and Jenny. Had taken precious time away from Corey to be here. None of them would have realized that Sarah was immensely relieved to be away from Paul, even if for a little while.

They all watched the proceedings for a moment as Chuck and Neil faced those who had known their family member. Recalled, no doubt, the man they thought Mark Taggart was. Not what he'd become.

"You have a place to stay, you know."

Kurt assured. He was too aware of how hard Chuck was taking things. How he even seemed to blame Mali for his son's death. Of course, maybe that wasn't it. Maybe it was the fact that the Cadre was considering all of them. Considering what to do with them.

They all saw Hodge standing down there, talking to Chuck and Neil. Likely the normal pleasantries for public appearance. The only reason the woman was being civil was because she was now required to be. She wasn't in the underground bunker, where she could be as big a bitch as she liked.

Mali nodded.

"We'll see. Thanks for the offer."

"Has the Cadre contacted you yet?"

Angela asked quietly and saw Mali shake her head 'no'.

"Give them time. They deliberate things carefully. I'd be inclined to steer clear of your father. Until things resume some normalcy, I doubt it'd be wise to speak of it to him."

Mali nodded to the salute of an enlisted who came up the hill. She watched the small crowd disperse. There would be a funeral dinner, then everyone would go their own separate ways.

Until the next person passed on. Or seven of them did, in the not-too-distant future.

* * *

**Christmas Eve**

She was typing on her laptop. Mali tried hard to not envision how Mark would have decorated this room. The residue from the funeral was ebbing away. The feelings still remained, though mostly unspoken.

The one letter from St. Mark's she had opened was sitting beside it. It didn't keep her from doing what she needed to. The house was quiet. Neil was shopping with Aunt Jenny and Chuck..well, she didn't know exactly where he was. To say that things were tense was putting things mildly.

She'd barely heard the tap on the door. Looked up to see Chuck in the doorway.

"Could I talk to you?"

Not accusatory, not tinged with rancor. Mali stopped typing, stored what was on the screen and shut her laptop.

"Sure."

"I've been hearing some rumbles about you going and staying with Kurt."

"He offered. I didn't know if you still wanted me around. People have different ways of handling grief."

She tried hard to not think about how Aunt Jenny still seemed to regard her. Chuck Taggart's older sister still felt the need to dominate any other female in the house, including her. Something that Mali blew off as much as she could.

"You don't need to leave."

Chuck sat on the bed. Looked about the changed room. The one that faintly smelled of new paint now.

"You didn't kill Mark. I know what did. Not that it matters anymore."

Mali turned in the chair. The man seemed to have aged a bit since she'd first met him over a month ago. Saw his eyes look up at her. Still ringed with sadness and loss.

"I also know who was there, even if the Cadre hadn't come in. I never did thank you for that."

Taggart said, after a long silence.

She tried to not smile sardonically. Some good it did. They all wound up being brought before the Cadre anyway. Recalled the Ranger motto:

"Leave no man behind."

"Listen, my sister **thinks** she is a gourmet chef. At least stick around a while. If you get food poisoning, you won't have far to go to get to a toilet."

"That's vicious. You'll get coal in your stocking."

Mali smiled, laughed. His humor was a relief to her after days of being damn near to uncommunicative.

Taggart smirked. Jenny was still putting it to him. Nothing had really changed.

"Shit, I've been getting coal in my stocking since I was born. Isn't anything new."

Mali reached to the small, wrapped box on the other side of the desk. She gave it to Chuck.

Taggart fingered the wrapped surface.

"What's this?"

"Open and find out."

Chuck shook the box. It had something that seemed to be round and hard. Once he took off the wrapping and opened it up he took it out. A geode. He looked over its rough, dull surface. Listened to Mali as she explained.

"When I was a little girl, I had an uncle who was into rocks and paleontology. He gave me an unopened geode for my birthday. I was a small kid and I liked, as most kids do, toys and games. I looked at the thing with the thought of- using adult language now- _What the hell is this? It's my birthday and all I get is a fucking, ugly rock?_

"Well, my uncle saw my look and sat back. He said 'What seems to be ugly and has no purpose always does have one. You have to have the courage to look beneath its surface to see its real beauty. Even if you think there's nothing worthwhile to find out. You will never know, until you crack it open and look inside.' After he said that, he took a small hammer from his coat pocket and tapped the rock. It split open to reveal an interior of crystals and hues of purple and red. I was really overwhelmed by it. It wound up on my bedroom dresser at St. Mark's. Is still there. Anyway, I thought that, given all the ugliness that's been going on since August, you might like to discover something beautiful. Hence, your geode."

For perhaps the first time in a while, Mali saw Chuck Taggart smile as he looked at the round stone in his hand. She smiled as he looked at it.

"My uncle died ten years ago. He left me with three, unopened geodes from his collection. You could say he had a nose for them. I opted to give Neil and your sister one each. But the one I gave you, I have a feeling about. I think you'll like what's inside."

"Your uncle taught you how to read geodes?"

"Can anybody really read them until they are opened?"

"Care to find out with me?"

Taggart said, standing up. His eyes had regained their warmth. He inclined his head to go downstairs.

* * *

Two taps cracked the geode into two, somewhat uneven halves. The hammer was put down.

When brought under the light of the workbench lamp, a world of bluish-purple crystals, in varied facets, shimmered under it. It really was a quite beautiful stone on its inside.

Mali watched Chuck look intently at it for many minutes, enjoying what he was seeing. His large hands gently moved the rock so he could see the different forms of the crystals under the lamp. She enjoyed watching him discover it. She knew that her story had sunk in. Saw him set it down.

What she hadn't expected was him turning to her. He looked at her a long moment, then let one of his hands cup the back of her head. Gave her a long, slow kiss. She let herself ease into it as his arms wrapped about her. Felt that whatever else had been going on, Chuck Taggart had been watching her ever since he came up to Washington to find her. It also seemed that the 'girlfriend' that had been mentioned was obviously of no importance anymore. Not even as a memory.

They only parted when they heard Neil and Jenny come back into the house, back from the store. Still, they were close and looking at each other. Chuck finally let his forehead lean against her chest, his arms still about her waist. She smelled his hair and kissed the top of his head. Felt his broad back and shoulders under her hands. Spoke softly to him.

"Merry Christmas, by the way."

* * *

**December 25****th****, 2002**

It didn't snow, on Christmas, in Houston.

Not that it mattered, given the sentiment of the holiday.

Predictably, the one Taggart kid that now remained got spoiled off his ass with gifts. Mali watched from the overstuffed chair she sat in. Watched Neil leave the small box with the bow on top for last. Watched Aunt Jenny open her gifts too. Had a thought that Christmas in the house must've been something when Paige and Mark had also been alive. Not that Mali knew much about family Christmas's. She left the house at 18 and seldom looked back. Years of being beaten down by her father and mother- for not conforming to what they wanted- took its toll. Only years later could she really stand to be in the same house with them. Then, it was only in a formal, distant way. It was only a couple years before they died and she was new to NASA. The connections of 'family' had passed into some irrelevance to her new life.

Mali watched Neil and his aunt get into their gifts. Saw them open their geodes and wonder over them as Chuck had. She still thought Chuck's was the best of them, though. Her eyes glanced over at Chuck every so often. More often than not, their eyes met, before returning to the happy scene. Even later, after a gut-busting dinner and watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Holiday Inn' back-to-back, they wound up sitting together on the couch and sipping at the glasses of bourbon each had. Neil and Jenny begged off to go to bed. The tree, now warmed by lights, spread its pine scent all over the room. Even a cigar had managed to sprout from Taggart's mouth. A sign of a pretty content astronaut at home. A far cry from a man who had recently buried his eldest son. Certainly very far from the man who didn't know where next to go after the abrupt death of his wife. Unlike with Paige's death, Chuck Taggart hadn't felt the need to book off with no firm plans of return. He opted to remain in his home, with those left that he loved.

Mali finally had to pluck the cigar from him and surprised him by taking a drag off of it herself. He tried not to smile, but did anyway. She took a puff and tasted it. Took another and lingered over it. The smoke coming back out in a lazy cloud.

"Didn't know you smoked?"

"Can't go through the Rangers and not. Usually, I don't. The smell of tobacco is easily picked up. Snipers can't afford being sniffed out."

Mali said, slowly letting out a cloud of smoke again and looked at the cigar. Before taking a drink of bourbon. She looked at Taggart a moment and reinserted the cigar between his teeth. Saw him grin the type of smile she could have pegged on most old-time astronauts with greying hairs. The one arm that was sprawled across the back of the sofa wrapped about her shoulders as they sat in the quiet house and watched the rest of the movie. The silence of Christmas night settling down softly on both of them.

Mali knew she did have a place in the Taggart house. Whether she wanted it, or not.


End file.
